Tutoring Research Articles

ENGAGEMENT OF SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SHADOW EDUCATION: PRESENT STATUS IN INDIA & WEST BENGAL

ENGAGEMENT OF SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SHADOW EDUCATION: PRESENT STATUS IN INDIA & WEST BENGAL

DEVELOPMENT OF WEBSITE-BASED XTRAORDINARY TUTOR APPLICATION SERVICE MODULE

Xtraordinary Tutor is a website-based online private tutor search application for children with special needs in Makassar. Based on the results of data collection using a questionnaire with a total of 83 respondents, it was found that this application has not been able to choose a tutor according to the category of children with special needs. From the results of the questionnaires that have been distributed, as many as 83% of users who want a development on the tutor list to make it easier for users to find tutors according to their needs so that the authors develop applications by adding category and rating filters. This category is needed to select a tutor based on the required category while the rating is useful for assessing tutors, the user can give a rating to the tutor they have hired after the service rental ends.
 After implementing the development of the module, the authors distributed questionnaires to measure customer satisfaction, tested data validity and data reliability using SPSS 20, the results of the validity test and reliability test results were 83% of the users were satisfied with the addition of the tutor category which made it easier for them to choose the best tutor category. according to the needs of the child.

The Impact and Future of the Implementation of ‘Double Reduction’ policy

In July 2021, China introduced the ‘double reduction’ program, which aims to reduce the academic load for K-12 level (primary and secondary) students while also standardizing off-campus schools. Numerous investigations and research were carried out in China following the establishment of the ‘double reduction’ policy. These studies mainly focus on the people’s concerns and the impact of the policy. In this paper, four impacts were discussed including: 1) School education becomes the main part of Chinese education. 2) Parents’ anxieties are increased. 3) Educational training institutions are confronted with decruitment and transformation. 4) Private tutoring exacerbates educational imbalances. Then suggestions such as allocating educational resources equally for the government, setting rational expectations to their children for parents and focusing on the comprehensive development of students for schools are indicated in the end.

The Effect of Model-Based Problem Solving on the Performance of Students Who are Struggling in Mathematics

The U.S. Nation’s Report Card reveals that lower performing students exhibited greater achievement decline than their average/high performing peers based on 2022 long-term trend mathematics assessments for age 9 students. Technology, including computer-assisted instruction, plays an important role in today’s dynamic learning environments. Currently, there is a lack of computer-assisted intervention programs that systematically teach generalized word problem-solving skills that are driven by mathematical models. Model-based problem solving (MBPS) is one of the essential emphases in the Common Core mathematical practice standards. This study investigated the effects of a web-based computer tutor, MBPS, on enhancing word problem-solving performance of elementary students who are struggling in mathematics. The MBPS tutor incorporates best practices that are identified by the Institute of Educational Sciences’ (IES) latest practice guide, including providing systematic instruction, visual and verbal supports, and teaching of precise mathematical language. Findings indicate that the MBPS tutor boosted participants’ performance above and beyond the business-as-usual comparison group.

Research on the evolution and improvement of China's shadow education governance policy from the perspective of multiple streams theory.

From a global perspective, after-school tutoring education, also known as shadow education, has developed rapidly since the beginning of this century. However, shadow education has also brought many practical problems, such as the increased burden on parents and children, and the unfairness in education. At present, the Chinese government is vigorously implementing the double reduction policy and has achieved remarkable practical results. This study focuses on the evolution of the government policy of shadow education in China. First, it analyzed the four stages of shadow education governance policy experience: the acquiescent survival stage, the encouraging development stage, the preliminary regulation stage, and the comprehensive rectification stage. Python was used for text mining the policies from different periods and analyzing the focus of the policies in different stages by obtaining high-frequency vocabulary. Then, the multiple streams theory was used to explore the policy evolution process and change mechanism. Finally, relevant recommendations have been discussed to address the gaps in the current shadow education governance policies. The study found that the objectives, scope of adjustment, and protection of rights and interests of China's shadow education governance policies have undergone significant changes over time. Through the constant interaction and interweaving of the stream of problems, the stream of politics, and the stream of policy, the window of opportunity for policy change was jointly promoted. The innovations of this article mainly include the following: First, the evolution of China's shadow education governance policies was systematically reviewed using text mining methods to compare the differences of governance policies at different stages and second, multiple streams theory was used as the theoretical framework to analyze the reasons for the focus of shadow education governance policy changes.

Supplementary Private Tutoring for Science Students of Higher Secondary (HSC) Level In Bangladesh: Perceived Factors, Causes And Challenges

Students use supplementary private tutoring for their education which is a worldwide phenomenon particularly in science education. The present study aimed to examine how household heads of Bangladesh perceive supplementary private tutoring factors, causes and challenges for science students of higher secondary (HSC) level. In this study, a survey questionnaire was administered with 200 randomly selected household heads of higher secondary science students in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. To supplement the quantitative survey, the study also collected qualitative data from 12 higher secondary science teachers, 12 tutors as well as 20 students in two FGDs. The study shows that the level of income, education level and occupation of household heads may affect in taking the supplementary private tutoring for science students in Mymensingh. The main causes to take the tutoring are obtaining better result, making hard subjects easier, getting admission into better institutes, achieving local and foreign scholarships are mentioned as the causes of providing extra tutoring to their children. Moreover, lack of knowledgeable tutors, increasing initiatives for tutors and increasing expenditures for tutoring are identified as the major challenges. The findings of this study would have implication with policy initiatives and teaching learning practices in the science education development of Bangladesh. Social Science Review, Vol. 38(2), December 2021 Page 23-49

Private Tutoring Classes and Emotional Well-Being in China: Bidirectional Relationship and the Role of Academic Achievement

The Chinese education system is characterized as highly meritocratic and examination-oriented. Scores in high-stakes public standardized examinations mainly determine upward educational transitions. Private tutoring classes (PTCs) are a typical measure to boost students’ academic achievement. Mental health is also assumed to affect one’s behaviors and educational outcomes, playing a key role in the stratification process. However, few studies discuss (1) the bidirectional relationship between PTC attendance and emotional well-being, and (2) the role of academic achievement in determining PTC attendance and moderating the relationship between the two variables. This study fills these gaps by analyzing the 2013–14 and 2014–15 waves of data from the China Educational Panel Survey. Using a cross-lagged model, the author only finds a positive association between prior emotional well-being and later PTC attendance. Moreover, the positive association between students’ prior academic achievement and their later PTC attendance suggests that PTCs tend to serve higher-performing students. Examining the heterogeneity of the bidirectional relationship in terms of academic achievement, the author finds that only low-achievers follow a similar pattern as shown in the full sample model. This study will enrich the understanding on how mental health together with PTCs attendance contributes to the educational stratification process.

Shadow Education and Parental Involvement: A Study on the Double Reduction Policy in China

In 2021, the Chinese government issued a policy to ease the burden of excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students undergoing compulsory education. This policy is also known as the "double reduction policy". This study will review the research on shadow education and parental participation and consider shadow education as a component of parental involvement in China. It also exemplifies the paradox between the act of reducing the burdensplaced on students by education policies and the intense competitiveness in exams, which is seen to be a key component of shadow education. Parents actively seek shadow education alternatives and are vocal about their dissatisfaction with the policy. This study will assist researchers in studying the implementation of the double reduction policy, understanding the worry and anxiety parents experience, and making recommendations for future policy modifications.

The Functions of Shadow Education in China: An Exploration beyond Mainstream Education

Private tutoring, also known as shadow education, is an increasingly evident system in a wide range of social environment. Previous scholars have regarded it as a derivative from mainstream education designed to enhance students academic performance and as an institution creating social inequality. Although the researches on the new area have increased and been valued, this area is still in its infancy, especially at the level of geographic coverage. Therefore, the paper exams the status quo of shadow education in China where few relevant studies have been conducted, mainly discussing the positive functions of emerging private tutoring which includes upward mobility and division of labor. The author further contends that the negative implications are not simply caused by shadow education, but are still embedded in the competitive education system dominated by high-stake examinations and lacking personal service.

Everything's Not Lost

Everything's Not Lost Ross Showalter (bio) I only notice the two of them because they are the only people who don't raise their hands when I ask the question I always ask at the beginning: "How many of you know someone who is deaf?" They seem prepared to defend themselves, their being here. One of them folds his arms across his chest; the other one looks around, his lips slightly parted, as if searching for something. Other hands in laps, perhaps, instead of up in the air. They are both handsome, with symmetrical faces and identical shadows on their jaws. I catch flashes of gold bands on both their third fingers on their left hands; they are married to each other. Throughout that first class, as we introduce ourselves, it is hard to not wonder why they came here. Their names are Topher and Josh. Topher uncrosses his arms, points his thumb at Josh, and says his name for him. Josh grimaces at me. Josh's hair is blonde, Topher's is brown. I give Josh and Topher an encouraging smile. "Welcome." I outline the class details while we pass around the syllabus. The ASL interpreter, leaning against a wall in the room, speaks for me as I sign. Her name is Heather, and her voice echoes above the clank of the church heater. The course meets two nights a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, for eight weeks. We all sit in a circle, not unlike a support group, under flickering fluorescents. My sign language classes take place in a church basement because my supervisor doesn't want to pay for a better location. I remain convinced I smell mold despite running a flashlight beam over every corner, wall, and the expanse of ceiling and floor. In the three years teaching in this space, I have found nothing. When I sign, "Now, this doesn't apply to all of you . . ." it is normally meant as a cover, a way for students to not assume they are all here for the same reasons. In my head, I assume the reason is the same. My classes sell out in minutes, and my supervisor has complained of her website crashing. It fills me with both pride and terror, and I have seen many more hesitant hands rising into the air than ever before, ready to sign, to take on this new physical language. Those new hands shake, too. But this time, with Topher and Josh here, the warning holds an element of truth it didn't before. "We are here to learn sign language. We're not here to talk about people going deaf or not deaf," I sign. "This is a time of learning. The two [End Page 27] hours you sit in here, you learn. You don't gossip. You learn." _____ After the class, Heather approaches me. "Did I do okay?" she asks. "I worry that doing this class again and again is making me lazy." I shake my head. "You did great. Is the class okay for you?" Heather nods. "I have a feeling demand isn't going to slow down. It's going to escalate. Have you thought about adding another class?" I shake my head again. "That's not up to me. That's up to my supervisor." Nausea still churns in me whenever I think of her reasons; she wanted to keep classes sparse so she could hike up prices. High prices and low access promised exclusivity. Sign language classes outside a university, like mine, weren't common because there weren't enough deaf people with doctorates. There was only so much a private tutor could do. With sign language, you need other people to practice with, to learn. I'd dropped out of college after a year. What I remember of classes, classes from over a decade ago, is only dizziness from hangovers. I was a deaf person, but I wasn't worth a high cost. My pay hasn't changed. My supervisor keeps the extra income. Heather nods again, but I can tell she doesn't understand. I feel an urge to explain, but there would be follow-up questions, questions I do...

Johann Friedrich Herbart: Grandfather of Analytic Philosophy by Frederick C. Beiser

Reviewed by: Johann Friedrich Herbart: Grandfather of Analytic Philosophy by Frederick C. Beiser Nabeel Hamid BEISER, Frederick C. Johann Friedrich Herbart: Grandfather of Analytic Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022. xii + 321 pp. Cloth, $85.00 This volume is the newest installment in Frederick Beiser's emerging series of intellectual biographies of nineteenth-century German figures who are relatively little known in the Anglophone world. Following monographs on Hermann Cohen (2018) and David Friedrich Strauß (2020), Beiser's latest subject is Johann Friedrich Herbart (1776–1841), a contemporary of Schelling and Hegel best known in his century as a founder of scientific psychology and an educational theorist. Beiser's motive for presenting Herbart to today's Anglophone readers, however, has to do with neither of those dimensions of his legacy. His claim on Herbart's behalf is bold: that he was the one who "first outlined . . . our modern conception of the purpose and method of philosophy." According to Beiser, Herbart was the first to advance the idea that "philosophy is primarily an analysis of concepts, that it is a second-order logical enterprise that examines concepts rather than a first-order empirical discipline (physics, biology) that uses them." Thus, he bestows upon Herbart the moniker indicated in the book's subtitle: "If Russell and Frege are the fathers of analytical philosophy, Herbart is its grandfather." Beiser supports his central genealogical thesis with several specific claims that would draw Herbart into the orbit of contemporary philosophical naturalism: that Herbart conceived philosophy as an examination of the logic of the sciences; that Frege borrowed Herbart's slogan, "reworking of concepts" (Bearbeitung der Begriffe) to describe the business of philosophy; that Herbart upheld a sharp fact/value [End Page 543] distinction; and that he formulated a "method of relations" for the analysis of concepts derived strictly from the given. Most importantly, perhaps, given the received story of the origins of analytic philosophy as a reaction to (British) German Idealism, Beiser frames Herbart as an early opponent of the speculative systems of Fichte and Schelling, and as the source of an alternative development of transcendental idealism that anticipated the later neo-Kantian movement. Whether Herbart's claim to ancestry is convincing remains for his putative descendants to judge. To specialists in the history of nineteenth-century philosophy, Beiser's pitch to analytic philosophers risks appearing reductive. Indeed, a striking feature of Herbart's reception is its ambivalence. During the time when he was widely read, authors as varied in their intellectual orientations as Wilhelm Dilthey, Ernst Mach, and Matthias Jakob Schleiden contended with Herbart as, in turn, a progenitor of psychologism, a pioneer of the application of mathematics to mental phenomena, and a dogmatic scholastic, all before Frege leaned on Herbart to propose conceptual analysis as the distinctive task of philosophy that would save it from irrelevance in the face of the forward march of the positive sciences. Meanwhile, Herbart's most compelling claim to distinction, that he initiated (along with Jakob Friedrich Fries) a naturalistic alternative to the Fichte-Schelling-Hegel school of post-Kantian philosophy, has been defended previously, including in Anglophone scholarship (notably by Gary Hatfield in The Natural and the Normative). Beiser's attempt to give Herbart a place in the genealogy of analytic philosophy comes at the inevitable cost of evading some of the tensions in Herbart's work that account for his complex influence. Beiser's story—told in the lucid, engaging style we have come to expect from him—spans the length of Herbart's life and career. It also provides a clear overview of all major aspects of his teaching—from metaphysics and psychology, to pedagogy, ethics, and aesthetics. The narrative is divided into thirteen chapters. The first four cover Herbart's childhood in Oldenburg, student years in Jena, and his time in Interlaken as private tutor to an aristocratic Swiss family, which proved crucial for his lifelong interest in pedagogical theory. The next three turn to Herbart's first academic post in Göttingen and his decisive break with his teacher, Fichte, which led to his early efforts to formulate an alternative metaphysics and ethics, the latter notably infused with a Romantic idea of...

Questioning Neoliberal Rhetorics of Wellness: Designing Programmatic Interventions to Better Support Graduate Instructor Wellbeing

Previous research has recognized the neoliberal trends that permeate the rhetorics of academic wellness, placing the responsibility for wellbeing on individuals rather than institutions and systems. In this study, the authors implemented a participatory action research (PAR) project to collaborate with different stakeholders in one university writing program and develop programmatic approaches to support the wellbeing one subset of academic faculty: graduate student instructors. Along with an account of how we adapted our PAR methodology to align with the wellness needs of our participants, we also provide a description and analysis of the intervention developed collaboratively in the PAR group. We end with five takeaways that researchers and stakeholders in graduate student education can apply to developing programmatic interventions that better support graduate instructor wellbeing: 1) research methodologies should adapt to foreground wellbeing; 2) productive conversations about wellbeing should start by acknowledging and validating the lived experience of graduate instructors; 3) students want to be involved in programmatic processes and procedures that support their wellbeing; 4) facilitating (but not requiring) non-productive social interaction among grad students can support GI wellbeing; 5) the work of supporting wellbeing is never fully done---we call on administrators, faculty members, and students to continue this work.

The Implications of Shadow Education on African School Systems

Shadow education has become a growing practice and a subject of interest in all areas of the world. As the regular education system sometimes finds itself unable to satisfy students fully, they often turn to shadow education. The practice is most commonly seen and studied in competitive areas such as East Asia and North America. As Africa’s education system develops as a continent, trends of shadow education also begin to emerge. However, since the practice is relatively new, there is little information surrounding Africa and shadow education. The research paper will review the practice of shadow education in Africa and the potential situations they could face as it becomes more prominent. The information used involves surveys, statistical reports, and comparisons between countries. 

중학생의 수학 학업 저성취 영향요인 분석

Objectives The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the low mathematical achievement of middle school students and to derive effective implications for the basic academic achievement guarantee policy.
 Methods This study used the 4th to 6th data of the 4th-grade panel of the Gyeonggi Education Longitudinal Study (GEPS). For 5,376 middle school students, we specified a hybrid model that combines both fixed and random effect. The low achievement level represents the lowest 20% in the group. Since this is a binary variable, the panel logit model was applied. Based on previous research, personal characteristics, family background, and school context factors were put as independent variables.
 Results Among the intra-individual effects, the changes in academic amotivation and math class attitude showed significant influence on the possibility of low achievement in math. Among the inter-individual effects, variables such as expected level of education, the degree of smart devices usage for learning and non-learning, family income level and parents' educational background, private tutoring in mathematics, attitude in mathematics class had a significant effect on the possibility of low performance in mathematics. In addition, discriminatory atmosphere based on school achievement, participation in after-school classes, and location of school are identified as significant influencing factors.
 Conclusions Focusing on the variables that had a significant influence on the possibility of low achievement in mathematics, suggestions were made on the effective educational intervention, and on the policy such as the 『Comprehensive Plan for Guaranteeing Basic Academic Achievement』.

The "secrets" of English private tutoring in China: Chinese students' experiences of study abroad test preparation in cram schools.

English private tutoring, a.k.a. "shadow education" has been an important way that international students rely on for overseas test preparation. Despite the plethora of research on private tutoring in various countries and regions, scarce research focuses on the type of EPT that prepares students for overseas tests. Therefore, this study investigated the experience and perceptions of EPT in preparing for overseas writing tests of 187 Chinese students through retrospective interviews and questionnaires. The present study investigated Chinese students' experience in and perceptions of EPT for study abroad writing test preparation. The results showed that most students received EPT in writing in various ways at cram schools and they devoted themselves to EPT in cram schools intensively. They favored EPT in cram schools mainly because the test-taking strategies taught there could help them obtain a higher grade on the writing section in overseas tests. With respect to writing teaching in cram schools, the most frequent teaching activities included teaching test-taking strategies and providing writing templates. Although most students acknowledged the usefulness of EPT in writing in terms of preparing themselves for the writing test, it was not necessarily the case for improving their general writing abilities. The students believed that the writing instruction was test-oriented and had a ceiling effect in improving their general writing abilities. However, with enough long time in EPT, the cramming nature of cram schools can be less obvious.

Conditions of distance learning and teaching and their relation to elementary school children’s basic number skills after the suspension of face-to-face teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

The suspension of face-to-face teaching, due to the COVID-19 social distancing regulations, raised serious concerns about the impacts on children’s academic learning. Because the implementation of distance education in Germany was entirely the responsibility of individual schools, and because the home learning environments varied across households, school children had very different learning conditions during the pandemic. This fact raises questions whether the conditions of distance learning has impacted children’s development of basic number skills. In this paper, descriptive information on children’s home learning conditions and teachers’ distance teaching approaches during the pandemic, socio-cultural capital, and basic number skills of 484 third and fourth grade students (51.2% girls) in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) are assessed. The data revealed risk factors such as not having a tablet/laptop, lack of access to the internet, or a learning environment with siblings without an adult family member present. A negative association was found between multiple risk factors (at-risk levels) in home learning and basic number skills. This link was partially mediated by socio-cultural capital and moderated by teachers’ distance teaching approach. Children whose teachers applied a more personalized teaching approach showed fewer negative relations between at-risk levels and basic number skills. While no evidence was observed for positive effects of videoconferencing, school-based emergency classes, or private tutoring on basic number skills, children whose learning was supported by learning management systems showed better skills than their peers. The findings highlight the differential impact of home-based learning conditions during the pandemic and provide practical implications for realization of distance teaching.

Acquiring a scholar’s voice

Abstract
 We report preliminary results of a mixed-methods longitudinal study of academic writing by graduate students writing in English in Vietnam. The research involves Vietnamese EFL teachers (n=62) taking a 2-year MA Linguistics (TESOL) program delivered in hybrid mode. The program, jointly taught by an American private university and a large public university in Vietnam, uses an innovative scaffolded thesis model developed by the researchers. In program entry surveys, vocabulary was mentioned most often as a significant challenge for academic writing. We compared the vocabulary that our students used in early and late drafts of their theses against two reference corpora: The graduate level linguistics subcorpus of the BAWE corpus of student academic writing and COCAA 2010-12. Data from the first drafts of the introduction, discussion and conclusion sections shows the Vietnamese students compare favorably with both native and non-native students in the BAWE subcorpus in terms of lexical density measured as type to token ratio, but their use of both discipline-specific and “core academic” words is more limited in scope. Between drafts, the overall length of writing expanded by approximately 17% and students collectively added 302 word types including 25 core academic and 11 discipline specific. It is clear from our research that vocabulary cannot be disentangled completely from other aspects of academic writing such as lexical bundles, syntax, and cohesion. Our research will enhance writing pedagogy in EAP with suggestions for developing targeted and contextualized instruction in using academic vocabulary, and it will be of particular interest to instructors of advanced students writing in an EFL environment.

Different subjects, different incentives: Private tutoring and perceived instructional quality in Czech lower-secondary schools

Whether education systems can stimulate or attenuate the demand for private supplementary tutoring by acting on the quality of provided school instruction is a complex and relatively unexplored issue. This study aims to reduce this knowledge gap by analysing the relationships between private tutoring attendance and instructional quality perceived at individual and classroom levels. Regression analyses are performed on a representative sample of 1280 pupils in the senior grade of lower secondary Czech schools. In mathematics and national language, students who find the school instruction interesting, who learn a lot, whose teachers can motivate them and explain the subject well, are less likely to use private tutoring in this subject. By increasing the quality of teaching in these subjects, schools and teachers may indirectly reduce the demand for private tutoring. However, perceived quality of school instruction in English language does not affect English tutoring, which is procured by affluent families irrespective of the perceived quality of school instructions.

Comparison Analysis of AHP-SAW, AHP-WP, AHP-TOPSIS Methods in Private Tutor Selection

Comparison Analysis of AHP-SAW, AHP-WP, AHP-TOPSIS Methods in Private Tutor Selection

Shadow Education: A Case Study of Grade 10-12 Students’ Perspectives towards the Influencing Factors Affecting English Language Learning Competency

This study aimed to investigate the influencing factors affecting students’ English learning experiences of grade 10-12 students in the consecutive academic years of 1/2022 at Wat Phrasrimahadhat Secondary Demonstration School, Phranakhon Rajabhat University. The participants were 140 students who are studying Science-mathematics majors, Mathematics-English major, English-Chinese major, and English-Japanese major. The instrument used for data collection was the Google form questionnaire. The results of the Google form questionnaire were interpreted, categorized and tabulated on computer sheets. Case studiesAssistant immigration officer: JohnThe findings revealed that the majority of the students studied in grade 11 and attended the English Tutorial class outside school. The reasons for attending the tutorial class were 1) to prepare for the Thai University Center Admission System (TCAS), 2) to prepare for the specific test, such as TOEFL, IELTS, GED, TOEIC, OPI and OPIC, Cambridge Exams, TU-GET and CU-TEP, 3) to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and 4) to improve ability in vocabulary and grammar use. New vocabulary, English practice and feedback, advanced grammar structure, and speed reading should be strongly emphasized in further English courses.